BY IRWIN ANGIKI
Commissioner of Lands Alan McNeil has resigned.
Mr McNeil made the sudden announcement on Wednesday evening on Linkedin.
“This week I’ve resigned my role as Commissioner of Lands for the Solomon Islands Government,” McNeil said in his post.
“It’s been a great honour to serve this country in this role for eight years, and at the Ministry of Lands for the last 12 years.
“I have given three months’ notice as required by the public service General Orders,” McNeil said.
McNeil did not cite any reasons however gave an insight to the demanding nature of the position.
“It’s a highly challenging role and it has brought plenty of ups and downs along the way,” McNeil’s post said.
McNeil in his Linkedin post wishes his successor the best.
“I will be providing detailed hand-over notes and I will wish the next Commissioner well in this role,” McNeil said.
McNeil has declined to comment when the paper reached out to him yesterday.
McNeil has been credited with restoring transparency and trust to the office of the commissioner of lands, which was once dubbed as one of the most corrupt government institutions.
He has overturned many cases of fraudulent land acquisitions.
McNeil as commissioner of lands is heading the ambitious government compulsory acquisition programme of the Levers Solomons Limited (LSL) which has seen court challenges and has made a lot of powerful political figures uneasy.
McNeil has had several key wins in court during his tenure.
He successfully took back all of Pari Development Company’s land in Noro through two High Court rulings.
These cases involve hundreds of hectares of prime land surrounding Noro town in Western Province, which was given to the company as a 10-year grant of profit by a former Commissioner, then converted to consent orders and grants of 75-year Fixed Term Estates during another former Commissioner’s tenure.
All of that land is now back in government hands, although the company’s appeal against one of those High Court rulings is still pending before the Court of Appeal, 12 months after it was filed.
For the freed-up land, the Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Commerce is already planning UXO clearance and a new subdivision, and Soltuna is also understood to be interested in developing a higher standard residential compound for its workers.
McNeil also resumed the land for the new Noro Ministry of Finance complex, and successfully defended against a High Court claim that challenged that resumption.
In November last year, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Service suspended McNeil on the basis of allegations made against him in relation to the land where the Kongulai water source for Honiara is located.
The allegations were made by Bodo Dettke, who became a joint owner of that land title after an agreement and lease variation were signed by the landowners and the government.
McNeil was reinstated just two weeks later without explanation given in relation to those allegations.
In a media conference shortly afterwards, Assistant Commissioner of Lands Maelyn Lubasia admitted to making a mistake on a lease variation instrument, and the Attorney General John Muria Jnr explained to media that the mistake did not constitute fraud in any case.
In 2023, the High Court ruled in favour of McNeil against the Solomon Star newspaper, that defamatory articles had been published about him, and awarded McNeil $70,000 in damages.
It is understood that McNeil has two further defamation claims involving the Solomon Star newspaper pending before the High Court, as well as a pending claim against the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Service and the Chairman of the Public Service Commission in relation to his suspension in November last year.
Photo: Supplied
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